Friday, July 22, 2011

In a recent article, Rob Benedict talked about the difficulty of bringing his character back. "It’s so self-conscious…" he says. "It’s kind of hard to just have him walk through the door and be like ‘Hey, how’s it going'?"

I don't think it's hard at all! You just have to love Chuck and Rob Benedict enough to be motivated to find the solution. :)

I think Chuck was not meant to be God from the beginning of his story thread. I just can't buy that God would sit alone in a ratty bathrobe and dial up porn while drinking bad whiskey. Yes, he took on a role to hide his true identity from the boys, but when they weren't around, who was he playing for?

Therefore, I think Kripke came up with that very fitting closure to his tenure as showrunner well into the season. It made "early Chuck as God" a little unbelievable, but now it makes bringing Chuck back super easy.

I don't think they have to bring Chuck back as God, or bring the "real" God onto the show at all. So far, God's presence—except for that one episode in the final moments of the Big Battle—has been off screen. He's done incredible things, like bringing Cas back (twice, really, and geez, this is how Cas repays him?!), but all from afar. Gentle nudging of events, not direct interference. Cas isn't the first being to declare himself lord and master, so God really doesn't have to change his behavior. If he wasn't going to jump in to prevent the apocalypse, he's not likely to show up for this poser.

Sam and Dean don't know that Chuck was "God." As far as we've seen, they haven't tried to find or contact him since Sam went into the pit. They can do a quick explainer, of course. Dean saying, "Dude, I tried to call you like fifty times." Or they can just admit to having been so wrapped up in their own issues they didn't think about him.

But what do Sam and Dean think happened to Chuck? (Rhetorical question.) If God only took Chuck's role for a short time, where did Chuck go during that? Maybe he was sleeping some real, awesome, dreamless sleep while God took over his prophet duties. Maybe, when he woke up, he realized he could have his life back. Or actually have a life. He wrote a new book, all his own ideas, and sold it and became a bestseller. In the meantime, he worked in a toilet paper factory (because it takes a long time to get from Page One to NY Times Bestseller list).

Okay, that established, what kind of storyline could draw Chuck back to the screen for us? Throw out some ideas!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Comic Con starts today and HOW I wish I was there. One day, I hope. I really, really hope. Although I must confess I don't want to go by myself because it seems somewhat terrifying. LOL.

Meanwhile, Supernatural has a panel this Sunday with Sera Gamble, Ben Edlund, Jared, Jensen, Jim, Misha and Mark Sheppard. The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke with Jared who, God bless him, spoke about his geekiness. He confesses to an irrational love for Star Wars Boba Fett as a child. He really wanted to grow up to be a bounty hunter. I think he actually did as Sam, sans the rocket he seems to adore.

Fans have high hopes they’ll see the gag reel from season 6 at the session as well as a sneak peek of season 7, perhaps the episode Jensen directed since it was the first to be filmed. The panel will be moderated by Eric Goldman, the Executive Editor for the TV channel at IGN.com. You can tweet questions you'd like to hear at the panel via @EricIGN. They’ll also be previewing the anime series which arrives on DVD July 26. For updates visit the Supernatural Comic Con wiki page.

But the most interesting thing I got from the THR article was Jared’s hint that there’s going to be a major big baddie in the new season. “We have to go big or go home and Supernatural has a tendency to go big and badder and this season the foe will be bigger than Armageddon, bigger than the apocalypse, bigger than Lucifer and bigger than God. “ I’m thinking holy crap, just what could that be?

Monday, July 11, 2011

Slow trickle of news at this time of year. It should pick up now that they're filming again, though! :)

Are you one of the fans upset or cautiously optimistic about Misha Collins' role as Castiel in season 7? Laura Prudom of AOL TV went to Haiti with Misha and Random Acts, and took the opportunity to ask him about it. Mild spoilers.

Alona Tal tweeted (in a vague kind of way) that she'll be back on the show in some capacity in season 7. You can read an analysis here.

My two favorite shows collide yet again! Yesterday my Google alert included links to an article confirming that Jewel Staite will be guest-starring in the episode Jensen is directing! Set photos can be found here, taken by a fan. You can't see Jewel's face in either shot, but die-hard fans may recognize body language and head shape. LOL

At Comic-Con's preview night on July 20th, Warner Bros. will be sneak-peaking the anime series. (Details here.

Speaking of Comic-Con... If you're going, you're in for a treat. Warner Bros. is putting Supernaturalin Hall H! The panel will be Sunday from 11:15 to 12:15. Be warned: It's followed by the Doctor Who panel. There's a lot of overlap in fandoms, so that might work out nicely, but still take the huge Doctor Who following into account in your planning. (Remember when the Twihards filled the hall early so the Avatar people couldn't get in?)

Friday, July 1, 2011

At the Salute to Supernatural conference Tanya and I attended in early June, it seemed that Misha Collins (Castiel) just might have been as big a hit as Jared and Jensen. He really has won the hearts of fans, not something particularly easy to do when you're a new character introduced into the Supernatural world.

The line to get pictures taken with him was fairly lengthy, so much so that when he walked up the stairs next to me with his handlers, he made a face like, "Wow, where did all these people come from?" Something that was different from the day before when we'd gone to get photos with Jared and Jensen was increased security. There was a Metro Nashville police officer at the door, another next to Misha and a TBI agent in the middle of the room. Turns out somebody had threatened Misha online, perhaps because they were upset that he was playing God. I mean, come on people! Sure, the religious stuff on Supernatural makes me squirm sometimes, but it's fiction. The actors don't actually believe this stuff.

Threats aside, Misha was very friendly as were Jared and Jensen the day before. We exchanged "nice to meet yous", the picture was snapped, and off I went to the rest of my day. Tanya showed me a video tweet Misha had posted that morning. Evidently he'd gone for a run and one of the cicadas that were then in swarm mode (thank goodness they're all gone now for another 13 years) attached itself to the front of his shorts. Misha, being Misha, said something about the cicada "going for the gold." Hee hee.

Later, when Misha took the stage, the roar from the crowd was quite impressive. And unlike some of the other panelists from previous sessions, he understandably stayed on the stage, except for when a girl dressed in a pretty good Castiel costume came to the microphone to ask a question. It was funny to watch her get a little flustered as he deliberately moved closer and closer into her personal space.

I really should have written this post right after the conference so I could remember the specifics of the question-and-answer session. I remember him talking about Random Acts and how he was getting ready to head to Haiti to help build an orphanage. He does a lot of really good charity work like that. And that's something that always endears a star to me much more than anything else, a friendly and giving nature. When they don't let stardom go to their heads and make them jerks.

I'm not sure what will happen to Castiel this year, but I wish Misha Collins much continued success in his career, wherever that takes him.